Training early childhood teachers and early childhood trainers is an essential component of the Teaching Basic Health and Safety in the Early Childhood Classroom project. Early childhood trainers from across Georgia participate in train-the-trainer workshops to prepare them to teach early childhood teachers how to use the curriculum. Each trainer commits to share the curriculum with at least 20 early childhood teachers.

Trainers

About 240 trainers have come through the program since its inception in 2001. Trainers have included Cooperative Extension agents, Head Start curriculum specialists, Georgia pre-kindergarten resource coordinators, child care resource and referral agency staff, and independent training consultants.

Training Workshops

Participants in Teaching Basic Health and Safety in the Early Childhood Classroom trainings experience a variety of hands-on learning techniques that prepare them to implement the curriculum with 3- to 5-year-olds in developmentally appropriate ways. During the training workshops, participants have opportunities to:

• Rotate through interactive activity stations that introduce them to curriculum activities
• Learn why health and safety are important topics to teach young children
• Generate new health and safety ideas for use in the early childhood classroom
• Create and teach new hands-on health and safety activities
• Share personal experiences about teaching health and safety to children
• Play educational games and sing health and safety songs

Take-Home Materials

Training participants receive a variety of resources to help teach health and safety to young children. The resources distributed at training sessions include:

• Complete copies of the lesson plan(s) and support materials covered in the training
• Family involvement materials on the relevant curriculum unit(s)
• An extensive listing of health and safety resources, including children's computer games and web sites for children, parents, and teachers
• Spanish translations of the curriculum unit(s) and family involvement materials

Resource Kits

Trainers and early childhood teachers who have attended Teaching Basic Health and Safety in the Early Childhood Classroom training in Georgia have access to resource lending kits for each of the curriculum units. Each kit contains most of the non-consumable materials needed for the activities in that unit. There is no charge for checking out the kits, but users are responsible for paying the postage to return the kits.

Upcoming Training

Training sessions are scheduled in the spring and fall of each year. Check our Upcoming Projects page for a list of currently-scheduled trainings. Although our work schedules are quite busy, we are open to the possibility of scheduling occasional specialized training for groups who have the resources to compensate us for time, travel, and materials.